djwudi's reviews
1083 reviews

Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold

3.0

A fun, quick read, as two of Miles’ current and former staff uncover a plot to foil Miles’ wedding.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

3.0

A two-century prequel to the Vorkosogan saga, as the Quaddies — humans genetically engineered for zero-G, complete with a second pair of arms rather than legs — make a break for freedom. Not quite as good as later Vorkosogan books, but also one of the earliest written, and still very enjoyable, with some neat feats of sci-fi engineering balancing out the less well-developed characters.

Harm's Way by David Mack

2.0

Though officially a TOS adventure, this is really mostly a part of the _Vanguard_ spinoff book series, which I read so long ago as to have forgotten both characters and key points. As a result, it felt like I was reading a mid-series book, and missing much of the necessary context. The primary foe is so overwhelmingly powerful that there’s an extended battle sequence in the latter half of the book that feels very out of place; perhaps it works within the greater Vanguard storyline, but to me, it was just troubling and very un-Trek. Klingon characters include pre-“Day of the Dove” Kang and Mara, which does expand their characters in interesting ways and hints at background motivations for future Federation/Klingon developments, but also doesn’t really mesh with what I remember of Kang and Mara’s actions in the episode (though, admittedly, it’s been a few years since I watched it, and I’m relying partially on Memory Alpha’s plot summary here). All in all, an uneven Trek adventure, and not one of my favorites.

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge

5.0

Interstellar travel spanning centuries, plans and plots spanning decades and more, first contact, an alien civilization presented in both very relateable and very alien ways…all sorts of good stuff here. Technically in the same universe as Vinge’s _A Fire Upon the Deep_, but so removed in space and time as to be standalone, with only a few connections to the other. Really enjoyed how Vinge presented the Spiders, and the revelations towards the end that I didn’t guess at all. An excellent read.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Asylum by Una McCormack

4.0

As always, Trek is at its best when it’s looking at modern issues through an SF lens. On the surface, this is about Pike and Number One at Starfleet Academy, paired with a later mission that ties back to those experiences. But when dealing with minority ethnic groups reacting to years of oppression, there’s a lot more there as well. Plus, of course, some very entertaining ties to wider Trek lore.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 61: November/December 2024 by Lynne M. Thomas, Monte Lin, Michael Damian Thomas

3.0

Favorites this issue were “Woodmask” by Adrian Tchaikovsky and “Ancestor Heart” by Naomi Day.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 218 by Neil Clarke

3.0

Favorites this month were "LuvHome™" by Resa Nelson, "Luminous Glass, Vibrant Seeds" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires, "Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being" by A. W. Prihandita, and "Unquiet Graves" by Michael Swanwick.

Living Memory by Christopher L. Bennett

4.0

A mysterious and dangerous astral phenomenon threatens the Earth, and Spock, Uhura, and Chekov must try to solve a mystery that ends up being tied to Uhura's forgotten past. Meanwhile, Kirk, overseeing Starfleet Academy, has to deal with some problematic new cadets. The Kirk-centric B-blot is okay, mostly interesting for fleshing out more of Kirk's time between the films. The primary plot is more interesting, especially as it picks up the thread of how Uhura was affected by her loss of memory during the Nomad incident, something never (or very rarely) explored. That part of the story I very much enjoyed.

A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold

4.0

This was delightful. The series has moved on from the space battle adventures where it began and the political maneuvering and intrigue that it transitioned into, and now goes full-on romcom, complete with a hilariously disastrous dinner party where _everything_ goes wrong…of course.

A Contest of Principles by Greg Cox

4.0

This one was a particularly interesting and on-the-nose bit of "exploring today's issues through SF". Published in 2020 (and so, assumedly, written in 2019), the Enterprise is called into to observe the voting process for a planet having it's first democratic elections. The contest is between a hardline conservative near-fascist military general whose followers use intimidation and assault, and a liberal reformist challenger who (minor spoiler) eventually steps down after a controversy and turns their candidacy over to a younger candidate. There's a separate, more standard Trek adventure where Spock has to try to rescue McCoy and Chapel from other planets in the system, but reading the primary political plot just over a week before our election (between a hardline conservative fascist and a more liberal challenger who took over from the prior candidate) was an interesting experience. I can only hope we handle our election as successfully as this fictional planet does.